Cigar Factory

{{Use American English|date=December 2022}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2022}}

{{Infobox NRHP

| name = Cigar Factory

| nrhp_type = nhl

| image = Charleston-cigar-factory-sc1.jpg

| caption = Cigar Factory

| location = 701 East Bay St., Charleston, South Carolina

| coordinates = {{coord|32|47|52.0116|N|79|56|4.8078|W|display=inline,title}}

| locmapin = South Carolina#USA

| area =

| added = November 25, 1980

| designated_nrhp_type = December 13, 2024

| built = 1882

| architect = A. D. Lockwood & Company

| architecture = Victorian commercial

| refnum = 80003658 (NRHP nomination)
100011360 (NHL designation)

}}

The Cigar Factory is a historic industrial building at 701 East Bay Street in Charleston, South Carolina. It was constructed in 1881 and opened in 1882 as the Cotton Mill of Charleston.{{cite news|title=The Charleston Steam Cotton Mill Now in Operation|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=0oeUc68sgesC&dat=18821229&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|newspaper=Charleston News & Courier|date=Dec 29, 1882|page=A1}}{{cite news|title=The New Cotton Mill|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=0oeUc68sgesC&dat=18811206&printsec=frontpage&hl=en|accessdate=Dec 3, 2012|newspaper=Charleston News & Courier|date=Dec 6, 1881|page=4 (col. 1)}} In 1912, it was purchased by the American Cigar Company who converted it into a cigar factory that was the largest private employer in Charleston during the 1930s.{{cite news | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=A1pJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=HQoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=2162,1385917&dq=cigar-factory+charleston&hl=en | title=Tobacco Factory Has Long History | work=Charleston News & Courier | date=Oct 4, 1983 | accessdate=October 12, 2013 | author=Hill, David | pages=B4}} In the 1940s, it was the location of the 1945–1946 Charleston Cigar Factory strike where the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome" emerged.{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2482&dat=20030921&id=1ZdIAAAAIBAJ&sjid=IwoNAAAAIBAJ&pg=1897,2193482 | title=Civil rights anthem rose to prominence in Charleston strike | work=The Post & Courier | date=September 21, 2003 | accessdate=March 8, 2014 | author=Peterson, Bo | pages=B1}} The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2024.

File:Mill 1882.JPG

A $30 million redevelopment of the structure began in 2014. By 2017, the factory was mostly leased.{{Cite web|last=McDermott|first=John|date=2017-03-22|title=Charleston's landmark Cigar Factory is refinanced|url=https://www.postandcourier.com/business/charlestons-landmark-cigar-factory-is-refinanced/article_44d38086-3ef0-11e7-b38f-7b81cd395636.html|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Post and Courier|language=en}} Current businesses in the building include restaurants, salons, an event venue, and an ophthalmologist's office.{{Cite web|title=Directory|url=http://cigarfactorycharleston.com/directory|access-date=2020-08-05|website=Cigar Factory|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Contact Retina Consultants of Charleston {{!}} Leading Retina Specialists|url=https://www.retinacharleston.com/contact-us|access-date=2022-02-16|website=www.retinacharleston.com|language=en}}